Before an HVAC expert comes to your home to do any repair work, walk around the home and check out the temps in every room. Figure out which rooms feel hot and which feel cold. This will help your contractor quickly determine where the issue lies and how to get it fixed quickly and easily.
Look for discounts wherever possible. HVAC systems can be rather costly, so you'll want to seek out whatever discounts and deals that may be out there. When shopping around, ask about any current specials running, and look for discounts that are related to ENERGY STAR compliance. Both can save you a lot of cash.
When your contractor comes to fix your unit or install a new one, he should walk around your home and investigate what's going on with your current set-up. They should be looking for how much insulation you have, where your windows are and what quality they are and more.
Clean your permanent air filters or replace disposable ones every single month. If you have the choice, an electrostatic is the best option on the market today. Be sure to turn off your unit before you change the filter as it should never be run without a filter in place.
If you have fans in place to help make your HVAC more efficient, be sure that they're turning in the right direction. They should be pushing air downwards over the people in the room to help cool their skin. If it's blowing upwards, all it does is push hot air into the room.
The correct HVAC system should have sealed air ducts to minimize heating or cooling loss as air travels to different rooms. The heating or cooling requirements of different rooms in the home should be taken into consideration. There is no reason to increase energy usage by controlling the temperature in rooms that are used very little.
Don't let your home get overly hot. Air conditioners really can only cool a home down about 20 degrees Fahrenheit within a reasonable amount of time. Assuming the temperature in your home rises to a hundred degrees, you will only be able to reduce that by twenty degrees. Depending on how humid the environment is, that is not a healthy temperature for the human body when it rests during sleep.
Don't allow your home to become dangerously hot. Air conditioners really can only cool a home down about 20 degrees Fahrenheit within a reasonable amount of time. If the temperature in your home reaches 100 check here degree Fahrenheit, it will only reduce it to 80 or more. With high humidity, this is an unsafe temperature even for sleeping.
Make sure that the HVAC contractor you plan to hire does not use subcontractors to do their work. Many people use this as an excuse to shirk their responsibility in the event that something goes wrong when your system is being worked on. Only allow this if there is a note in the contract about what will happen if there is an issue.
Turn your AC off if no one is at home. When you turn it off, the house heats up, but only to a certain threshold. When the AC is left running, your power bill will go up quite a bit.
To reduce the air conditioning's energy cost, close drapes, blinds and shades that cover windows which face the sun. Also, white shades will reflect the heat away from the house, keeping it cooler and saving you money. It is also recommended that you close the vents in rooms that are not used often. This will ensure that you are not spending money cooling less-used rooms.
If your home gets hot in the summer and you'd like to use your air conditioner less often, consider a metal roof. It reflects the heat right back up into the sky, allowing your home to gain less heat on sunny days. Since metal roofs are permanent, you'll save on repair and replacement costs also.
Check for duct leaks if your unit seems to not be working efficiently. Your local energy company may do such testing at a reduced cost or maybe even for free. When you have leaks repaired, the testing has paid for itself.
Check for debris if you hear clicking in the HVAC unit. Most of the time such a noise is created by an object striking the blades of the fan in the system. That is a simple solution; just take the debris out. Check this out before calling a repairman.
Replace the air filter in your HVAC system every month. This will help your unit run properly. A new air filter is only a couple of bucks at your local hardware store.
With the proper education, an HVAC system is able to be understood. Be sure you pay close attention to everything as you learn. Start using them as soon as possible.
